Process for extracting pearls from oysters.



J.4I. SOLOMON.

PRooEss Fon BXTBAOTING PEABLS PROM oYsTBBs.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 17| 1909.

Patented Apr. 11,

rxr nanars rl rms ca..y wunmamu. o. c.

JOHN I. SOLOMON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING- PEARLS FROM OYSTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Apr. 11, 1911.

Application led November 17, 1909. Serial No. 528,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN I. SOLOMON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Extracting Pearls from Oysters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the art of extracting pearls from oysters. Its object is to provide a method for extracting pearls from pearl-bearing mussels, oysters, and other pearl-bearing shell-fish, especially where it is necessary to handle such shell-fish in large numbers and where it is necessary to guard against losses by theft.

My invention involves, essentially, impelling the pearl-bearing meat against a structure which will disintegrate and sub-divide ellinfr force air steam or other ases or water or other liquids.

Pearls which grow in the flesh or meat of pearl-bearing shell-fish are so embedded as to make their extraction a matter of great difficulty. The meat of pearl-bearing shellfish is of a gristly nature, slippery and moist, The pearls are also slippery when moist and are of almost the same color as the meat of the oyster and are of very small size compared to the bulk of the oyster. These circumstances add to the difficulty of finding and removing the pearls, as it is difficult in any case to even see or feel the pearls in place in the oyster. When the pearls are of small size it is practically impossible to see them in the treatment of the oyster by hand or in the customary manner, and there is, therefore, a great waste when the pearls are thus extracted from the oysters individually,

especially when the oysters have been freshly fished. In any event, the manual treatment of individual oysters in large numbers is laborious, and in many instances it is practically impossible. As has been indicated the manual treatment of oysters also offers facilities for theft.

In order to overcome the above-named difficulties, and es ecially to facilitate the handling of pearlcaring oysters in quantities, I place the pearl-bearing meat in an apparatus comprising as its essential element l a centrifugal, and by the action of the centrifugal I remove the meat by expelling it through openings in the sides of the centrifugal, leaving the pearls behind. I have also devised a supplemental process by which I introduce air, steam or other gases under pressure, or I may use Water or other liquids in lieu of the gaseous pressure.

The use of air or other gases under pressure, or of water or otherl liquids, in the centrifugal facilitates the removal of the meat from the pearl and flushes the centrifugal so as to entirely remove any stringy or gristly shreds of the meat which may obstruct the parts of the apparatus or the exits thereof.

In the drawings which illustrate an apparatus which may be used in carrying out my process: Figure l isa central vertical section; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a modiication; and Fig. 3 is a detail showing a modification of the journal of Fig. 1, that is, showing it hollow and perforated for the admission of air, steam or other gases, or water or other liquids to the apparatus of Fig. l.

In these drawings A represents a containing vessel which may be made of any suitable material such as wood, metal, or any combination thereof, and adapted to receive the meat of pearl-bearing oysters. The vessel A is borne and revolved by means of a shaft B journaled in the bottom and to of a frame F inclosing and forming an enve oping chamber for the vessel A. The walls D of the vessel A are perforated at H in a manner well understood, or instead of the perforations in the sides or Walls of the vessel there may be a netting in the vessel or a grid or any other convenient means for disintegrating the meat torn or separated from the pearls.

Screens which may be used in connection with the orifices or independently thereof,

openings. shall be of a size to, prevent obfjlectsv are indicated at E. The only essential detail in this respect is that in any case the thev size 0f the pearl which is to be reta-ined from passing through the screen.

N represents a pipe through which the eliminated meat may be discharged.

of the oyster and power is transmitted to the shaft B the revolving vessel will impart a centrifugal force to the mass of oyster meat in the vessel and will carry the meat over against the sides I9 of the vessel'V and eventually force the meat thro-ugh thescreen E when it is used, and, in any event, through the o-ricesl ll, or through Whatever form of per-fOra-ti-ons the sides ofthe vessel A :mayy have. The pearls being of a hard and uny-ielding substance and of a sire too large tov pass through the openings in the side of the vessel A, will be retained in the vessel afterall the iiesh ofthe oyster has been eliminated and discharged.

As the pearls in any mass ofl Oysterineat will vary in size from those. as small or smaller than grains of'sand upward to those of considerable bulk it may not be found expedient orl possible to extract all at one ope-ration. To accomplish a successive treatment. and toexpedite the operation I may have dierent grades of screens E so' that at the first operation, for instance, I may remove all of the meat and the smaller sizes o-f the pearls, leavin-g behind in the vessel the largerpearls. rlhen, having removed the larger pearlsl from the vessel A, I substitutey forV the screen previously used, sonicof iner mesh and then replace. inthevessel- A the mass of meat and sin-aller pearls which previouslybeen discharged through the;

discharged mass. of meat and smaller pearls` at onceplaced in the secondi centrifugal and' so. on through the battery so that the operation of all the centrifugals, and therefore the. extraction of the diii'erent sizesaof pearls, shall be practically simultaneous. The ap,- paratus; illustrated in Fig. 2 does not require the use of a centrifugal..

ln Fig.. 2; A1 represents a vessel havin 5 a bottom and grating or screen corresponding to; those previously described and herewith illustrated as Dl,

F1 illustrates: the inclosing chamber. L1 is an opening in the top o-f the vessel A1 through which the; pearlbearing meat is placed iir theVv vessel,and K1 is a pipe through which the gaseous or liquid j medium. to be employed to treat the pearlbearing meat is introduced. Below the ves- Vsel A1 succeeding vessels of the same l/Vhen the vessel A is filled With the meat.

junctivepipe for'the treating medi-urn, K2, da, and each having openings in the top N1', N2' through which the meat and smaller 'grades of pearls are received as they are descri )tion A2 A3 each havinof an adess is completed. In some instances a si-i-rgl-e feed pipe for the mediumL such asf air, steam orV other gases, or Water 'or other liquids, may bcsuitlicient, but I have indicated branch pipes toY augment` the iiiow asA illus-- t-rating more act-ive and effective, apparatus; Instead; of passing the gases under pressurein thel apparatus show-n in Fig;V l through a vessel A or successive vessels A1', suction may be applied anyconvenrient-manner to the outside of ther vessel Water or other liquid and; air orl other gases dra-Wn through.

the vessel. to,- eliminatel they meat.. 'Ihismay be done by hermetically sealing the vessel A in its enveloping chamber F and applying a suction at. the; discharge open-.ing N. @r gases or liquids may be, passed through the.

vessel under pressure; and suction. at4 thesame time. llllhen steam is employed the outflow-'- ing mass of matterI may be passed through a condenser and the pressure and the flow Within the vessel A be thus increased Obviously, suction may the saine manner be applied to.1 the successive vessel-s: illustrated iny Fig. 2; of the apparatus..

rlhe use of air, steam or othery gases, or

Water or other liquids, ass has; already been` indicated, may be carried out in thee ap.-`

paratu-s sho-Wn in Fig-r l by substituting for the shaft B the hollorv shaft B1 with the perforations P1 illustrated in Fig.. The use of this is obvious. fro-1n the illustration, and eitherprcssurre 0r suction may be einployed with this modification,= and in case; of steam-ing the outlet end may be connected to a condenser. I

By illustrating and describing the apparatusv for carrying out this process, I do. not intend to liinit they application. of my process to. any particular mechanical means. I haveused the terni oyster as a con:- venient term to` designate thus briefly all pearl-bearing mussels, oysters and other pearl-bearing shell-fish.

I claim:

1. The process of extracting pearls from pearl-bearing mussels, oysters or other pearl-bearing shell-fish, which consists in impelling the pearl-bearing meat against a sub-dividing or disintegrating structure.

2. The process of extracting pearls from pearl-bearing mussels, oysters or other pearlbearing shell-fish, which consists in subjecting the pearl-bearing meat to the action of centrifugal force, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The process of extracting pearls from pearl-bearin mussels, oysters or other pearlbearing shel -sh, which consists in subjecting the pearl-bearing meat to the combined action of centrifugal force and a ushing and disintegrating medium.

4. The process of extracting pearls from pearl-bearing 1nussels,oysters or other earlbearing shell-fish, which consists in su jecting the relatively soft meat carrying the embedded pearl to the action of centrifugal force impelling the pearl-bearing meat against a sub-dividing or disintegrating structure.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN I. SOLOMON.

Witnesses: Y

JOHN M. DALE, VAL'rEn I. Huss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. C. 

